"Our origins are of the earth. And so there is in us a deeply seated response to the natural universe, which is part of our humanity." Rachel Carson

Skiing in Beauty

It was a good day to be out skiing. Imagine yourself so small you could play on a cottonball. That’s what the snow was like in central Wisconsin last weekend. Not the best conditions for speed-gliding, but perfect for playing in a cushy wonderland of fluff.

Access to the trail near our cabin was through the snow-draped limbs of White Pines–their needles soft, too, as I brushed by them and entered their domain. A hush lay all around me. All I had to do was slide along on my skis and look around. I saw tracks of deer and rabbits. The sky was blue and frost sparkled and everything was fresh. With every little breeze, snow from the branches above sifted down on me and I was refreshed.

The magic of the winter woods put me in mind of the Navajo prayer, asking “in harmony may I walk”: